The files were gone from my device and on their way to the authorities.
My mother stumbled backward as though the sound had struck her.
“You monster,” she whispered. “You have destroyed your own mother.”
“No.”
Part 3 – ENDING:
I opened the front door.
Cold afternoon air moved through the foyer, carrying away the scent of perfume, sunscreen, and champagne they had brought into my home.
“I cleared my name.”
I pointed toward the driveway.
“Now leave my house.”
My father did not argue.
He lowered his head and walked outside, suddenly looking much older than he had when he arrived.
Julian followed, nearly missing the porch step as his phone began ringing in his pocket.
It was probably the first creditor finally reaching him without my identity standing between them.
My mother remained in the doorway.
She retrieved her handbag and gave me one final hateful stare.
“You will be completely alone now,” she said. “You have no husband, no child, and soon you will have no parents. Remember that when you sit inside this empty house.”
